So…just a few weeks after stating that not being selected to fight Fermanagh-South Tyrone was a “blessing in disguise”, Michelle Gildernew has generously decided to accept the nomination. This follows a specially convened Selection Convention which had only one purpose…to select Michelle Gildernew.
By any conventional wisdom, the best chance that Sinn Féin have of defending three seats in Fermanagh-South Tyrone is to run two based in Fermanagh and one based in South Tyrone.
It was madness …and a calculated snub to Ms Gildernew (who lost the Westminster seat last year) to select three candidates…all male and all based in Fermanagh.
Adding Ms Gildernew means a four way split in the potential votes …and almost as mad as the original decision.
So Ms Gildernew is doubly blessed.
Not so John Feeley, Sean Lynch and semi-detached Phil Flanagan. Will one step down and take other duties within the Sinn Féin machine…and declare it a “blessing in disguise”.
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A very strong team of candidates in FST; Michelle is a great addition to the team and allows a well balanced ticket.
Win win for Sinn Féin.
Well you would say that.
But is it enough to cover over the split in SF in the constituency?
I think to declare FST candidate selection as a win win for Sinn Fein is a perfect example of burying your head in the sand. In fact, it is nothing short of delusional.
You should realise that even Connolly House will be raging at this fiasco and will not be calling it a win win for Sinn Fein. So you you to say it is a win win is beyond the realms of reality.
There are clearly bitter internal disputes inside the Sinn Fein party.
Sinn Féin will try to spin it as best they can. It is a disaster. And likely that the poison in relationships in SF in FST will spill over.
The gloves are off in the southern election and it looks like SF is taking some hits.
I think SF wont do as well as it thinks it will in the south…in part because Gerry Adams and Martin Ferris are a liability.
A successful Election campaign in the south might have a knock on effect in the north….but the other side of that coin is that a disappointing southern election might have an effect in the north.
SF have definitely been lucky for too long.